making it work with tim gunn

It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.
- William Faulkner

Several things happened today. I lost my voice. I had an audition. I interviewed Tim Gunn. I paid off my graduate school tuition. I revised Chapter 1 of my novel.

Oh, did I mention I interviewed Tim Gunn? You know, everyone's favorite fashion mentor on Project Runway, host of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, author of the book with the same name, educator extraordinaire at Parsons The New School for Design, and chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne.

Yeah, that Tim Gunn.


I first met Mr. Gunn very briefly last May at a Book Revue book signing in Huntington, and from the talk he gave there, I could already tell that he was as eloquent, knowledgeable, and passionate as he appears on television. Now, after a lengthy interview in his office in the city, I can say that all of those things are more than true, and he just so happens to also be one of the most personable and down-to-earth people I have ever had the pleasure to interview. In every way, he is the Tim Gunn everyone who is a fan of his could hope for him to be - and then some.

We spoke about his position at Liz Claiborne, where he has been reinvigorating the company and its many brands, breathing life and energy back into it, about Project Runway and Guide to Style, about his time at Parsons, and about his overall role in the fashion world today. More than anything, Mr. Gunn has become for many people a figure who bridges that cloudy realm between the runways in NYC and the mess of a closet we all have at home. When everyone has something to say about how everyone should dress, Mr. Gunn teaches a philosophy of personal style, owning your look, and - say it with me now - making it work!!

Well before many of us met Mr. Gunn, he was an educator and administrative force at Parsons, a mover and a shaker, helping to reshape a department and mold a new generation of fashion designers. But when we did finally meet him several years ago, we found a fashion mentor, of all things, and of the nicest, most intelligent kind. And before long, and rightfully so, he was not only giving advice to aspiring designers, but in addition he was giving much-needed style advice to people who can't nor care to sew - to the people who aren't so much concerned about what's "in" as to those who want to feel good in their clothes all the time.

So now we have Tim Gunn - educator, host, celebrity, author, company executive, and mentor.

People wait on line for hours to meet Mr. Gunn, shake his hand, ask him questions, and find out what he thinks about how they're dressed. What some people would never dare to ask because of what the answer might actually be, they ask him, because they know that he is qualified, interested in giving feedback, and above all, genuinely honest, in the nicest of ways.

You'll surely hear more about my interview with Mr. Gunn as the article nears completion (just enough to entice you to read it when it's published), but for now, know this:

Today, at the interview, he pointed out just how cute my dress was and what a perfect fit it was, and as I actually jotted down that important point in my notebook, I was trying to hold back perhaps the biggest smile someone with a such a scratchy voice and stuffy nose as I had today could ever hope to have =)

Thanks, Tim Gunn, for helping us all, make it work.